Fewer violent crimes were reported to Myrtle Beach police in 2011 than in the year before, according to recently-released statistics.
In the city, officers responded to 389 violent crimes in 2011, which included four homicides, 35 rapes, 163 robberies and 187 aggravated assaults, according to statistics Friday by the FBI. Those compared with 2010, when 483 total violent crimes were logged, including one homicide, 39 rapes, 189 robberies and 254 aggravated assaults.
“The numbers of violent crimes are down for this year, however we realize that there is still a lot of work to do,” Myrtle Beach police Capt. David Knipes said. “Our goal is to use every resource possible to reduce these numbers even more and we are hopeful that by working hand in hand with the community, that we can achieve that goal.”
When the Federal Bureau of Investigation released statistics for 2009 to 2010, overall violent crime also appeared to have decreased in three Grand Strand-area communities. The crime rate along the Grand Strand during the two year period changed only slightly, according to the FBI figures.
Violent crimes showed slight decreases in Conway, Surfside Beach and in areas covered by Horry County police. Myrtle Beach and Georgetown reported slightly more violent crimes in 2010 than in 2009.
According to Myrtle Beach police figures released Friday, there also were 375 violent crimes in 2009 and 532 in 2008. But since 1995, the most violent crimes in Myrtle Beach were recorded in 2003, when 608 crimes were reported, including four homicides, 63 rapes, 195 robberies and 346 aggravated assaults.
No data was available for the years 2000 and 2001 for violent crimes and property crimes.
“The police can’t do it all by themselves you need to have community involvement to have a significant impact on the quality of life,” Knipes said and noted residents and visitors need to lock their valuables and be aware of their surroundings.
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